Former Cedar Grove Panthers push to have original coach honored

Even 50 years later there is no question the late Arnie Berg made a lasting impact on those he coached at Cedar Grove High School, where he built the athletic program up from literally nothing.

Now some of those who learned valuable life lessons from the late coach and athletic director are asking the Cedar Grove Board of Education for a way to remember Berg.

While naming the football field after him would be the ultimate honor, there has also been talk of naming the wrestling room or creating a trophy to celebrate the short but sweet legacy that Berg left at then Memorial High School.

"This guy put the foundation down for Cedar Grove High School," Jimmy McAndrew, the first quarterback at CGHS, said.

McAndrew has since become an exceptionally successful entrepreneur, and credits much of this to the skills Berg taught him in his earlier days.

"There's no question that Arnie Berg changed my life, put me on the right track," the now 67-year-old said.

The biggest attribute that the coach emphasized was preparation. In fact, he lent his original copy of the playbook to McAndrew so the quarterback could become familiar with what to do depending on the defensive alignment.

Greg Werner, who was coached by Berg in both football and wrestling, said the coach set incredibly high expectations right away.

In the first years of the program the Panthers took on some of the best teams in the state, schools like Summit, Millburn and Madison.

As Werner put it, the coach "put the lambs to the lions right away."

"He pushed us to the limit," the now 66-year-old said. "Not to the point that anything was abusive, but to the point we knew what we had to do in order to meet the team expectations and individual expectations."

While the coach may be remembered for his contributions on the gridiron, it was in the wrestling room where some of the most memorable wins came.

Larry Wiener, who now lives in Denville and is the zoning board attorney in Cedar Grove, recalled a time when the wrestling team beat Pompton Lakes in 1963, earning a pin in all 12 weight classes.

Wiener said Berg introduced the sport to a town that previously knew little about wrestling.

He too remembered the coach's attitude about playing against anyone.

"We took on all-comers. I think that always instilled the attitude, 'Don't be afraid, put your shoes on one at a time just like anyone else,'" he said.

One way Berg prepared his teams was with weight training, which at the time was something even the pro teams were not completely involved with.

The coach was also well-known for the odd facial expressions he would make, which some of the players would jokingly mimic behind his back.

Werner said at the wrestling matches he would find himself watching his coach as opposed to his teammates.

While Berg left a lasing legacy on all three of these men, it wasn't until this past fall that they got together at a class reunion and started reminiscing about what an important role the coach played.

A small group then approached the Cedar Grove Board of Education at a recent meeting to propose the idea that Berg be honored for his contributions to the district.

Superintendent of Schools Michael Fetherman told the Times Wednesday morning that while no concrete decision has been made as to what they would like to do, the district is interested in finding a way to honor Berg.

"The board was moved by him, and I was too," Fetherman said.

In his five years in the district the superintendent has become very familiar with the Black and Gold Club, which Berg founded.

"Those dots were never connected and it was kind of cool to hear a brief history of how that all started," Fetherman said.

It seems likely something in Cedar Grove will soon bear the name Arnie Berg on it, a little over 50 years since the coach came to Cedar Grove.

The athletic program has had plenty of success since, much of which can be credited to the contributions the original head football and wrestling coach made.

"Sometimes it just takes time and you realize this just didn't happen," Wiener said. "There was a solid base, a commitment."

Former Cedar Grove Panthers push to have original coach honored

Even 50 years later there is no question the late Arnie Berg made a lasting impact on those he coached at Cedar Grove High School, where he built the athletic program up from literally nothing.

Now some of those who learned valuable life lessons from the late coach and athletic director are asking the Cedar Grove Board of Education for a way to remember Berg.

While naming the football field after him would be the ultimate honor, there has also been talk of naming the wrestling room or creating a trophy to celebrate the short but sweet legacy that Berg left at then Memorial High School.

"This guy put the foundation down for Cedar Grove High School," Jimmy McAndrew, the first quarterback at CGHS, said.

McAndrew has since become an exceptionally successful entrepreneur, and credits much of this to the skills Berg taught him in his earlier days.

"There's no question that Arnie Berg changed my life, put me on the right track," the now 67-year-old said.

The biggest attribute that the coach emphasized was preparation. In fact, he lent his original copy of the playbook to McAndrew so the quarterback could become familiar with what to do depending on the defensive alignment.

Greg Werner, who was coached by Berg in both football and wrestling, said the coach set incredibly high expectations right away.

In the first years of the program the Panthers took on some of the best teams in the state, schools like Summit, Millburn and Madison.

As Werner put it, the coach "put the lambs to the lions right away."

"He pushed us to the limit," the now 66-year-old said. "Not to the point that anything was abusive, but to the point we knew what we had to do in order to meet the team expectations and individual expectations."

While the coach may be remembered for his contributions on the gridiron, it was in the wrestling room where some of the most memorable wins came.

Larry Wiener, who now lives in Denville and is the zoning board attorney in Cedar Grove, recalled a time when the wrestling team beat Pompton Lakes in 1963, earning a pin in all 12 weight classes.

Wiener said Berg introduced the sport to a town that previously knew little about wrestling.

He too remembered the coach's attitude about playing against anyone.

"We took on all-comers. I think that always instilled the attitude, 'Don't be afraid, put your shoes on one at a time just like anyone else,'" he said.

One way Berg prepared his teams was with weight training, which at the time was something even the pro teams were not completely involved with.

The coach was also well-known for the odd facial expressions he would make, which some of the players would jokingly mimic behind his back.

Werner said at the wrestling matches he would find himself watching his coach as opposed to his teammates.

While Berg left a lasing legacy on all three of these men, it wasn't until this past fall that they got together at a class reunion and started reminiscing about what an important role the coach played.

A small group then approached the Cedar Grove Board of Education at a recent meeting to propose the idea that Berg be honored for his contributions to the district.